Herrera dominates WorldWCR Race 1 to extend her championship lead

WorldWCR: Race 1 Highlights:
Maria Herrera (Klint Forward Racing Team) took no prisoners in Saturday’s Race 1. Dominating from start to finish, the Spaniard crossed the line first to amass her fifth win of the season, with which she extends her championship lead with just three races to go.

Polesitter Chloe Jones (GR Motorsport) was far from idle, pushing hard to reel in Maria for the win. Setting the fastest lap of the race along the way, the Brit was ultimately forced to settle for second, albeit just a tenth of a second from first.

Fifth on the grid, title contender Beatriz Neila (Ampito Crescent Yamaha) knew that only a podium would do. Immediately gaining round, the Spaniard worked her to stick with the two frontrunners and secure a very important third place, which gives her another 16 precious championship points.

While Jones will benefit from starting on pole on Sunday, having completed the quickest lap of Race 1 (1’51.622), she will be joined on the front row by Herrera and Neila.

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Italian Roberta Ponziani (Klint Forward Racing Team) worked her way up the field to finish a very strong fourth and strengthen her hold on third place in the standings.

Starting on the front row for the first time, home rider Lucie Boudesseul (GMT94-YAMAHA) lost a little off the line but soon bounced back, holding fourth for the best part of the race before crossing the line fifth.

Exploiting her best starting position of the season, Natalia Rivera (Terra & Vita GRT Yamaha WorldWCR Team) collected some important championship points by completing Race 1 in sixth place.

Competing in her first WorldWRC race, French wildcard Justine Pedemonte (MDS) did incredibly well to place seventh, just twenty seconds from the front, having initially slipped back to eleventh on lap one.

A consistent performance for Tayla Relph (Full Throttle Racing) saw the Australian finish eighth, just half a second from her closest rival.

Line Vieillard (FT Racing Academy) and Mallory Dobbs (Diva Racing) were caught up in their own battle for ninth, with the French wildcard ultimately getting the better of the American in the final stages of this thrilling 12-lapper.

An honourable mention goes to New Zealander Avalon Lewis (Carl Cox Motorsports) who climbed from fifteenth on the grid to eleventh after a crash comprised her Superpole session on Friday.

Forced to start from the back of the grid due to an infringement, Team Trasimeno’s Jessica Howden showed grit and determination, making up twelve positions over the course of the race to finish inside the points zone, in fourteenth place.

Sara Sanchez (Terra&Vita GRT Yamaha WorldWCR Team), Emily Bondi (ZELOS Trasimeno) and Sonya Lloyd (Team Trasimeno) were unable to complete Race 1 after crashing out in the early stages. Bondi and Sanchez were transported to the medical centre, and unfortunately ruled unfit, Sanchez diagnosed with left hand metacarpal fractures and Bondi with a fracture of the third finger on her left hand.

Championship Standings:

With win number 5, Herrera extends her championship lead to 197 points
Still very much in the mix, Neila chases 18 points behind (179)
The championship cannot be won this weekend and will be decided at the final Jerez round
Ponziani consolidates third with 125 points
With today’s podium, Jones moves into fourth place with 113 points
Sanchez rounds out the top five with 111

Key Points:
Pole position: Chloe Jones (GR Motosport) – 1’51.868
Race 1 winner: Maria Herrera (Klint Forward Racing Team)
Race fastest lap: Chloe Jones – 1’51.622

P1 | Maria Herrera | Klint Forward Racing Team
“I’m really happy to win. I knew it would be hard to build a gap at this track, but I also knew it might be dangerous to be part of a group through the tight corners on the last lap. I think I ran a good race, pushing hard and focusing on my pace and my line, and in the end, I got it done. Chloe was fast, especially over the last part of the race, but I was able to defend my position. I couldn’t do more due to the wind, and she recovered a little on the straight, but I just focused on maintaining a strong pace. Tomorrow I’ll try to improve a little more; it will be important to finish Race 2 with more points and head to Jerez in a strong position.”

P2 | Chloe Jones | GR Motosport
“A really good race, especially starting from pole. I’ve learned a lot again today, just as I do every time I go out on track. We’ll change a few things tonight and tomorrow I’ll try to go for the win. We’re getting closer and closer to achieving that; the team and I are doing all we can, and I think it’s just a matter of time. I’ll keep fighting and working overnight to find a little extra for tomorrow. Hopefully there’s only the three of us running at the front in Race 2. We all showed we had good pace today, although Beatriz dropped back a bit, so I expect the same riders to be going for it again tomorrow.”

P3 | Beatriz Neila | Ampito Crescent Yamaha
“Today’s race was a little difficult as I had a few small problems with the gearing, but I’m pleased because I was able to take good points anyway, and the championship is still open. I think we can fix the issue for tomorrow’s Race 2, where I’ll be pushing to do as well as I can. Let’s see what happens.”

Race 1 Results
1. Maria Herrera (Klint Forward Racing Team)
2. Chloe Jones (GR Motosport) +0.130s
3. Beatriz Neila (Ampito Crescent Yamaha) +2.868s
4. Roberta Ponziani (Klint Forward Racing Team) +6.937s
5. Lucie Boudesseul (GMT94-YAMAHA) +7.265s
6. Natalia Rivera (Terra & Vita GRT Yamaha WorldWCR Team) +14.251s
Fastest lap: Chloe Jones – 1’51.622s

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